Various bait stations have previously been advanced for dispensing poisoned bait to rodents and similar pests. One, which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,768, issued on Oct. 26, 2004, consists of a molded plastic base containing a labyrinthine interior where blocks of solid poisoned bait are mounted. The base is set down on a relatively flat surface where it stays, and the rodents come there to feed. The base is covered by a lid, which is fastened closed by a latch. Feet are provided on the underside of the base in order to raise it above the surface upon which it was set and prevent moisture from entering the bait chambers.
A similar stationary trap is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,087, issued on May 25, 2004. It is intended to trap snails, slugs or the like. It has a flat base and a labyrinthine interior. A cover rests on top of the labyrinth, and the base of the trap is surrounded by a flange for the pests to crawl up on as they enter the interior of the trap where the bait is disposed.
Another flat-based station is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,352. A disposable bait carrier is placed inside the base in such a manner that it is difficult to dislodge it if the base is moved.
Other stations hang, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,172, issued Jun. 4, 1996, and some are contained in trays which roll on casters for supporting various objects in an insect-free environment, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,833 for example. A combined bait station and garbage can support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,879, illustrating a support held in place by a spike driven through the base plate of the station into a surface, such as earth or pavement, below the support
A further combination of a garbage can and bait station is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,622 which issued on Oct. 29, 2002. That patent discloses a garbage container in the form of a large tub mounted on wheels. The upper portion of the tub is a compartment for garbage, while below the garbage compartment there is another compartment containing poisoned bait, which the rodents can access through entrance/exit holes in the wall of the container.
The variety of the foregoing structures and their relatively recent appearance suggest that more convenient and improved poisoned bait dispensing systems are needed. The present invention addresses many of these needs, namely, the need for ease of portability as well as the need for safely dispensing a poison in a place where pests are naturally attracted anyway and in an unobtrusive, unnoticeable manner.